Equilibrium
by Ivory pen
Summary: Trapped in a world where their every move is plagued by the actions of their darker selves, Team 7 must convince their friends' counterparts to trust them. But cosmic balance means that their darkness is in their home world...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings:** **AU** and **MAJOR MANGA SPOILERs**!

**Pairings:** Up for suggestion

* * *

Equilibrium

Chapter 1

By Precious Ivory

"_Madara! I won't let you get away with this! Sakura stay back!"_

He didn't understand what was going on...where he was...when he was...everything didn't make sense...

"_Foolish little boy, always trying to be the hero. But even with the fox's chakra, you cannot defeat me; an Uchiha who has brought the five nations to its knees...who's defied time itself!"_

Earth...He felt earth beneath him. Was he lying on the ground?

"_Where's Sasuke! What have you done with Sasuke-kun!"_

"_Dobe, why can't you just give up...by coming here you've only sealed your death"_

His head hurt...everything hurt...why couldn't he remember...why was everything so blurred...

"_You-you used me you-"_

"_Now-now Sasuke-kun, you came to me willingly...... I opened your eyes to the truth...I gave you your revenge...But now I have the last puzzle I need for my plan and... I don't need you anymore"_

Pain...he remembered pain...something burning from within, spiralling up from his stomach...the temperature rising to unbearable levels...the extraction.

"_I-I c-can't move...S-Sasuke-kun help N-Naruto" _

"_This chakra...Dobe, what are you doing?"_

The fox...what was he saying...w-why couldn't he feel him anymore?

"_How could this be? The fox should be powerless against this Jutsu! Pump more chakra! Don't cancel the Jutsu whatever happens! I've come too far...too far..."_

"_Kyuubi's chakra's rising! Hold onto me Sakura! It's coming!"_

Then...nothing...What happen next...What happened next!

"Naruto...Naruto, wake up!" What? This voice... Sakura? "Come on Naruto, that's it, follow my voice..."

He blinked once, then twice; allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A cough escaped from his mouth, vibrating against his ribcage sending a sharp pain to shoot through his stomach and he moaned with a grimace, not even acknowledging the soothing hand rubbing circles on his chest. His whole body ached but his stomach hurt the most. It felt grated and raw. Trying to not use his stomach muscles; he started to sit up. Sakura smiled in relief as she helped the blond into a seated position against the cool, jagged stone wall, then scrambled back so that he could have room to breathe.

"Thank God!" she sighed tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "I thought-"

"Sakura-chan...Where are we?" Naruto interrupted weakly, eyes having been surveying the cave curiously. It was obvious they were not at the Akatsuki cave anymore. It was dark, the only light coming from the miniature fire softly cackling within a pile of dry twigs and leaves, illuminating the space between them. His blue eyes finally fell on her face, narrowing as they took in her ragged features. She bit her lip self-consciously under his scrutiny, and turned away from him to look towards the mouth of the cave. Her hair was matted with spots of dirt and grime and was only slightly filthier than her face which's cheeks were caked in mud. Her clothes were ripped at the seams and he only had to glance down at his red bandaged torso to know what they were used for.

"I'm not quite sure anymore, Naruto" was her quiet reply, muffled by the cackling of the flames flickering from the centre of the cave. Naruto frowned at the vagueness of her answer. She was hiding something.

"What is it Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know-"

"What do you mean you don't know?" Naruto yelled, before wincing and clutching at his stomach.

"Don't yell you idiot! I don't have the Chakra to heal your wounds" Sakura chided exasperated, pivoting back to him to check he didn't re-open his injuries. He smiled at her sheepishly and slowly some of the tension left her shoulders, "This place...it looks familiar and yet" her fingers paused over his bandages before they continued to re-adjust them, "I don't know...As soon as I regained consciousness, my chakra was very low, I just dragged the two of you into this cave-"

"Wait!" Naruto interrupted, "You said the 'two of you', who else..." Her eyes dimmed and her face went blank...guarded. The same expression she would always wear when talking about... "The teme! The teme is here as well! Where is he now?" Naruto frowning, realising that the brooding Uchiha was not sharing the cave with them.

Sakura sighed as she answered, rolling her eyes closed as if in preparation for what was sure to come next, "He left, as soon as I bandaged his wounds. He left without a word-"

"And you just let him!"

"What was I supposed to do Naruto!" Sakura shot back whilst giving one of the bandages a vicious tug, ignoring the pained gasp that escaped from the blond, "He was the least injured of us all and someone needed to watch over you!"

Naruto looked away abashed, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan... it's not your fault" he explained, running a hand through his blond hair in frustration, absently noting the absence of his headband, "I'm just confused"

"You're not the only one..."

There was a pregnant pause as Naruto took in all the information that he'd gathered since waking up: they were lost, they were injured and they were low on Chakra. In other words, they were in big trouble. He sighed in dismay.

"There's something else...Something you should see..." Sakura announced quietly after a while. Her voice had become somewhat distant causing Naruto to frown as he rose, using the cold stone walls to steady his rebellious body.

"What?" Naruto urged, suddenly feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The pinked haired medic didn't reply but instead silently slung his arm around her neck and helped him stumble towards the entrance of the cave; her expression grave.

"Sakura-chan...w-what is it?" He continued to prompt her as they reached the opening, made anxious by her uncharacteristic silence. However, all she did was point, but that was all that was needed in order to drain the colour from the teen's face.

"No..." The blond gasped as he fell to his knees causing the medic supporting him to falter at the unexpected movement and land on the ground beside him.

The surrounding area was crammed with tree's that could be recognised within the borders of the country of fire and the wildlife that poked in and out of the foray of leaves could have brought relief...But that wasn't what made the teen's blood run cold or his bones shake at its very core in disbelief. It was what was displayed above, for it was not the moon that watched over the creeping night, but the spinning, three tomatoe eye of the Sharingan.

* * *

Unnerved would be an understatement to describe how one young Uchiha felt when his eyes rose to gaze at the altered sky from within the forest. "The Sharingan?" he muttered incredulously. Only for the sound of distant footsteps to force him back into the cover of the old oak trees' shadow. A hand clutched at his chest as he fought to control his rapid heart rate. Being a part of the man's organisation for over a year, Sasuke was well informed on the details of his relatives plan; to control everything in sight with those damnable eyes. But the plan had failed, he could remember it clearly as every detail was record by his Sharingan and stored in his memory. The Dobe had stopped the extraction using kyuubi's power. They had got away...somehow. That detail was still unclear; it hurt his head to think about it. It felt as if a brick wall was blocking the part of his mind that held the content.

'But what does this mean?' he thought mystified, sparing another glance above...'did he succeed? Could he see me now?' subconsciously, the teen took another step back into the shadows. The last time they had met he had tried to kill him. Sasuke's fist clenched causing his leather gloves to squeak in protest, angered by the traitorous emotions that brought a coldness to wash over him at the thought of that name. Uchiha Sasuke did not fear that man, he wouldn't allow that. Instead his thoughts began to fuel the familiar burning desire that used to drive him for the majority of his life. A desire he thought he had lost. He hated that man with an overwhelming passion, more than he had ever hated Itachi. He had just been a pawn. The man had used his anger, manipulating both himself and his brother; unforgivable. Once again he had let his emotions blind him from looking underneath the underneath. His fists loosened and his red eyes shut wearily at the irony at the sudden memory of his old teacher's words at a time like this. However, thinking of his perverted sensei made him think of his ex-teammates, whom he left unconscious in the small cave around the edge of the forest. They had come together; united for the first time in four years in an attempt to take down Madara and even though they failed, the experience had unsettled him greatly. The little breaks he had managed to create in the bonds connecting him to his teammates had started to mend as they stood together and it was almost too easy for him to forget the memory of his betrayal and the pain it caused them. But sitting awake in the cave with only the dull ache of his eyes to keep him company, they came back with a vengeance, like salt to a wound...

And it burned.

It didn't take long for him to decide what to do next. He just couldn't face them right now and so he left.

The sound of voices became more distinguishable as the figures drew nearer; they were approaching eastward from his position, where he could just make out the makings of a rundown path. 'If there's a path here, there's probably a village nearby too'. That thought managed to calm him. A village meant people. People meant answers and answers meant away back to the rice country. It had already occurred to him that he was not in a Gen-jutsu, after ditching his ex-teammates he had surveyed his surroundings carefully with his Dou-jutsu for the tale-tail signs of a illusion but could find none, just rare pulses of chakra that disappeared just as soon as they came. And nothing could hide from his eyes. What was happening was way more than a simple illusion.

A soft wind blew past him, playful picking the loose trails of black hair that hung over his forehead, stifling the beginnings of the passersby's conversation, but with the help of his chakra he was able to pick up the last segment of their discussion.

"-nearly there, I have to report in on the activities of the 'Ninja's'" came the voice of a middle-aged man; smoker, by the gruff edge in his voice. His companion snorted, but it came out distorted, mixed with another sound...he was swinging around a kunai.

"You think they would give it up by now, it's just a matter of time before he sends_ them _to get rid of the miscreants" The other man gave no reply and the footsteps slowly faded away leaving Sasuke filled with even more unanswered questions.

What did they mean by 'the ninja's'? From the way they walked, he could tell they weren't simple traders; they had ninja training themselves. Tired of not knowing what's going on, Sasuke began to follow the men to their village, but even as he shadowed them he couldn't help feeling the sense of nostalgic as he drew closer and closer to the village wall, he couldn't explain it but he felt like he had travelled this way before. Everything just looked so familiar...

* * *

"Kai! Kai! Kai!"

"Stop it Naruto!" Sakura hissed trying desperately to pull the boy back into the cave, "Your making too much noise!" shaking her off, the blond stared resolutely at where moon once dwelled and channelled more chakra into his hands, trying hard to stop them from trembling.

"Kai!" he yelled once again, growling afterwards as the moon refused to take its rightful place, "Why isn't it working! It should have dispelled by now! Damn it!"

"Naruto!" Sakura pleaded, "We need to get back inside before someone finds us!" But the boy refused to move, eyes still locked on the sinister sight above them.

"Not until I dispel this jutsu" Naruto stated, determinedly drawing more chakra, ignoring the pain it summoned from his seal.

"It's not a gen-jutsu Naruto! That's what I was talking about before, I don't know-"

Sakura didn't get to finish her sentence as she found herself back in the cave with her back against the wall, facing her teammates tanned, muscular back before she could even blink. "Baka! What are you-"

"Shh!" Naruto silenced her, slowly retrieving a kunai from his weapon pouch. His head snapped to the opening of the cave and he sniffed, "Someone's coming..."

Sakura didn't even have a chance to feel shock as before Naruto could finish, she was pushed to the ground and a kunai aimed at her was deflected into the ceiling.

"Move!" Naruto yelled before wincing, a dark colour spreading across his bandages. Grabbing three shuriken in each hand; he grit his teeth and turned to the mouth of the cave.

"I know!" Sakura shot back annoyed as she got to her feet and put on her gloves, just as they felt the presence of three chakra signatures outside. Seeing the low glow resonating from her fist she cursed. Her chakra was not fully replenished yet; she would just have to make sure that they didn't get any more injuries. If their enemies were as strong as their signatures suggested, she would need all the chakra she could get.

Naruto released the barrage of shuriken as soon as the first shadowed figure entered the cave. The man, he realised shortly, was of average height and a lean build, he was dressed in dirty grey and black ninja gear with two weapon pouches strapped along his right leg.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Naruto demanded as the stranger dodged the missiles but he received no answer. Instead, at the sound of his voice the man seemed to move faster, the bottom of his face hidden from view by a black cloth yet from the way his eyes were narrowed, he could tell he was scowling. A fist was suddenly aimed at his face and Naruto had to quickly bring his arms up to protect himself from the blow, grabbing onto his arm Naruto swung the figure round; gathering momentum , before releasing him towards the cave wall. Instead of the expected impact, the man pivoted in midair and landed gracefully with his feet on the wall before flipping to the ground. Growling in frustration, Naruto brought his hands into his trademark hand seals and created two clones, which 'poofed' into existence in front of him. The stranger seemed momentarily taken aback by the sight of the three orange clad shin-obe, but then relaxed starting to perform a justu of his own. Before he could finish a body came soaring towards him at high speeds and recognising them as one of his own he grabbed onto it, swinging round on his heel to bring his body to a stop and placed the knocked out man on the ground.

"SHANNARO!" The cave began to shake and they all turned to Sakura to see her pulling her fist from the wall.

"Take that!" Sakura cheered, panting slightly as the last opponent was buried under a pile of debris, "and then there was one"

Thinking fast the last fighter threw a kunai from his vest at the blond only to have it easily deflected into the wall behind him by a clone whilst the others began preparing a Resengan.

"Nice try, but it's over!" Naruto beamed victoriously, injury seemingly forgotten. The figure said nothing but simply put his hand into a seal. Eyes widening in recognition, Sakura began to run towards him, already knowing she was too late.

"Naruto run! It's an explos-"

**BOOM!**

Before he knew it he had been thrown into the opposite wall by the force of the explosion tag, the heat almost unbearable against his back. "Ahhh!"

"Naruto!" He distantly heard Sakura call out to him but when he tried to speak the dust from the rocks infiltrated his mouth and caused him to break into a violent coughing fit. From his blurry vision he could make her figure out hastily coming towards him...but suddenly she jolted to a stop. He frowned in bewilderment as he watched her struggle against herself to move. He blinked once again and now was able to see the shocked expression on her face as she once again began to move.

"No, it couldn't be!" she exclaimed over the ringing in his ear, just as she wondered out of his field of vision and it was only the sound of her body hitting the floor that told him she was out of the fight. Heart filling with panic he tried to stand but failed miserably, his ears still ringing causing him to feel dizzy and unbalanced. When he finally managed to sit up there was a kunai at his neck waiting for him. It was only then that he took a good look at his adversary and wasn't sure whether to feel confusion or relief.

"You were weaker than I thought you would be" began a frightfully familiar voice, "What a drag, after all that time spent preparing for you...for this moment" his voice had gone hard and dangerous towards the end and Naruto knew that even if it was who he thought it was, right now he would not hesitant to cut his throat. Hesitantly, Naruto spoke.

"S-shikamaru?" the figure tensed at the name then relaxed letting out a short bitter laugh.

"Shikamaru? I haven't heard you call me that in a long time..." Then he frowned, "You're acting strange..." he muttered looking hard into the blonds eyes, "Your appearance is slightly off too" a quick glance to the side, "both of you..." without warning his kunai pressed deeper into his air pipe and the sharp sting made Naruto aware to the fact that he was most likely bleeding, "I don't know what game your trying to play but it won't work!"

"I'm not trying to play any game Shikamaru!" Naruto answered back with difficulty, trying not to cut himself deeper with the kunai, "Listen! Sakura and I are not your enemies!"

Whatever Naruto expected to follow his proclamation he could never have predicted this.

Cursing Shikamaru punched the ground next to Naruto's face with the force to leave an indentation and he could have sworn that if he had had the guts to look into his eyes he would have been scorched by the fires of hate that burned within them.

"Don't think you can buy me off like you did to the others!" The kunai was now dangerously close, "I haven't got time for your games...It's over" Eyes widening at the resolve in his voice Naruto tried one last time.

"Shikamaru wait! I don't understand any of this! We just woke up here a few hours ago and then we saw the sky and then we got confused because we stopped Madara! We're sure we did!" He was rambling by now but he didn't care; Shikamaru had loosened his grip on the kunai. He decided to keep on talking. "We stopped him Shikamaru! This is all wrong! I'll never betray my friends! It's my dream to become Hokage! My nindo!" By now Shikamaru had removed the kunai from his neck and staring at him as if he had seen a ghost. Finally after a tense moment, dropping the weapon, the Nara fell back on his rear.

"N-Naruto?"

Rubbing his neck tenderly, Naruto sat up straight, wincing as he incidentally stretched his sore back.

"Yeah, who else would it be?" Naruto said with a dry laugh, body tense and watching the other warily in case he decided to attack him again. The dark haired teen pulled down his mask revealing the rest of his face to the world, confirming what Naruto already knew. His appearance may have been more rugged but that was definately the face of Konoha's laziest ninja.

"Heh, I haven't heard you talk like that in a long time" Naruto watched as the teen lit a cigarette and narrowed his eyes in thought, inhaling deeply. He may have escaped death for the moment but he wasn't out of the water yet. He still had a lot of explaining to do if he planned on surviving against this new and (scarily) active Shikamaru.

"How can this be possible?" the Nara began, staring at him hard in the face, " They said that the changes were impossible to reverse...Don't worry she's just unconscious, I don't kill girls, it's too troublesome" Naruto frowned in confusion, turning his eyes away from where Sakura lay unconscious to look at the heir to the deer clan questioningly.

"What changes?"

The boy only shook his head and placed his hands in the vaguely familiar shape resembling a circle and closed his eyes with a sigh. "How troublesome...You said you just got up a few hours ago and ended up here right? Where were you before?"

"We were in Rice country" Naruto answered dutifully, "two days travel from Konoha" Shikamaru lip twitched downward.

"Impossible, Konoha and Rice don't exist anymore...in name anyway"

"What!" Naruto yelled leaning forward in disbelief. Strangely, Shikamaru just snorted, opening his eyes to stare dryly at him; a familiar gesture that Naruto was relieved to see directed at him, "You're so loud, you'll alert everyone in the whole empire with your voice...but now thinking about it, we should probably move to the back of the cave...or what's left of it anyway. We're lucky no one has been sent to us already...a miracle even" he commented, glancing up at the sky. Following his gaze Naruto couldn't help but shiver.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..wait!" Shikamaru, who had gotten up to walk, sighed and turn to face the frowning blond, waiting, "Why is that? He should be able to see you...us, why isn't anything happening?"

Instead of answering the Nara heir narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the blond and without another word, strolled deeper into the cave.

* * *

Sasuke stopped a few meters outside the wall which once stood to protect his old village, now reduced to clumps of rock situated at random intervals around the border. In its place was a simple fence marking the entrance. The Uchiha didn't know how to feel. He had abandoned this land for power a long time ago. He knew that if Madara carried out his plan, Konoha would have been the first to fall, but to actually see it…

Walking further, he realized the area was not all in ruin, a few yards after the fence, Sasuke could make out the roofs of distant buildings and stalls. He frowned wondering why this was kept this way when the village had obviously been rebuilt. He then realized what the fence stood for and surprisingly he felt himself bristle at the insult; the subtle reminder of Konoha's fall. He walked up to it and hesitantly placed a hand on the rotting wood, feeling the peeling bark and frowning at its rough texture. It had been there for a while.

Looking up, he placed a hand upon the hilt of his sword hanging loosely from his hip and turned to face the two men that he knew were standing behind, waiting for him. Finally having seen them, Sasuke couldn't prevent his eyes from widening slightly in shock. The first was taller and had short spiky black hair, whilst the other's was covered by a navy bandana. They wore shin-obi footwear but their clothes were hidden behind a cloak that resembled the ones worn by the Akatsuki, except alternate of being covered in clouds there was only the three tomatoes of a Sharingan eye exposed on the back. But that wasn't what stunned the young Uchiha. It was the fact that instead of standing in a stance, ready to attack him and bring him down…they were bowing.

"Sasuke-sama" One began, "You have returned…"

* * *

Sakura coughed as a cloud of smoke was blown into her face. "Damn it Shikamaru!" The aforementioned youth only smirked around his cancer stick and lazily leaned back against the wall; Kunai lying on the floor in front of him which all present knew was ready to be picked up and used at a moment's notice. The medic made a face, not happy with his response, "those will kill you, you know"

"To troublesome to stop now..." he looked down and a smile slowly pulled at his lips, "She would keep telling me that all the time…" "He remarked, a foreign look glazing over his brown eyes. There was a small movement from his left and the look disappeared just as quickly as it came. If either of the two saw the exchange, they tactically did not comment on it. "Anyway, back to business, judging by your appearance and what you've told me I've come to three conclusions"

Upon hearing this, the two outsiders leaned in anxiously, knowing that this moment could decide the fate of their future.

Re-entering the cave, the two boys had kept themselves busy dealing with their injuries in silence, waiting for the pink haired medic to regain consciousness. It had been an awkward half hour of evasiveness and quick wary glances up at the sky but finally- to the relief of both boys, a quiet moan alerted them that she was awake. They then proceed, between the two of them to retell the events that lead them to arriving at the cave to a very skeptical Shikamaru. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, the dark haired teen lit another cigarette and called them over-after sending them away so he could think- to hear his judgment. His two companions, now awake sat next to him on either side and were yet to reveal their identities.

"The first is that you've done the impossible and gone back to your old ways" Naruto was about to interrupt but was silenced by a look from the Nara heir, " The second isn't even worth considering and is that you are not even from here, not even from this plane" He saw Naruto clamp his mouth shut against his urge to speak and sent his a small grateful look, but it was gone with what came out of his mouth next, words that caused the Konoha ninja's to tense in alarm, "The third and most probable…Is that your lying and this is a trick in order to gain our trust and destroy us from the inside"

Sakura inhaled sharply, and tried with all her heart to send her good intentions through her eyes as she knew words would not make any difference now. Naruto however, had reached his peak. Shikamaru's companions tensed as the boy jumped to his feet, only calmed by Shikamaru's raised hand. It was obvious he was the leader in their group.

"What! Of course were not lying to you! I hardly understood anything you just said, besides, how can I be the enemy if I don't even know what's going on myself!" Sakura's eye twitched and she pulled the boy back down with minimum effort.

"That didn't even make sense you baka!" Shikamaru snorted as he rose to his feet, and took another drag from his stick.

"How troublesome, you guys sure act like they used to" He remarked calmly, spinning his kunai around his index finger before putting it away.

Sakura's eyes lit up at his comment and she stood up feeling hopeful, "So you believe us?"

Shikamaru only blinked before answering calmly.

"Nope" It was only then that the medic realized that his friends were missing, she only had time to gasp in alarm before she found herself being painfully pinned to the wall and a paper seal being placed on her back. Sounds of struggle from beside her told her Naruto was going through a similar situation. Her wrists were bound tight and she tried to break free only to find that any attempt made her feel weak. _Chakra draining seals!_

"Well not really" the teen continued lazily, stopping out his cigarette, "There is something going on here, I'm sure of it but until I know what it is, I can't trust you" He nodded to the two mysterious figures and they began heading out of the cave. When entered the forest Shikamaru took something out of his pocket and threw them at their captors. "Gag 'em" he said simply.

"What! Why?" Naruto yelled out in outrage. Shikamaru only grimaced and rubbed his ears tenderly.

"That's why! You're too loud, plus if this is a trap we don't want to your back-up to know where we're going"

"There is no-"but the rest of the blonds words were muffled by the gag shoved in his mouth.

"Wait!" Sakura called out before her captor could silence her; there was one thing she needed to know. "You said you had three theories right? What if it was the second one?" Shikamaru gave her strange look before sighing, deciding to humor her.

"That would mean that the chakra outlet pushed you into a parallel world"

"You mean-"

"Yeah" he said with a roll of his eyes " a world of 'what could have been', an existence due to a changed action or response" The medic went silent and with a guarded expression turned to her captor, and so was surprised when Shikamaru continued talking, mind now running with the idea.

"But then that would be a very troublesome situation for both sides" She frowned at his comment, not understanding what he meant.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this way" he began, using hand gestures to illustrate his explanation, "The worlds would have to be balanced for it to co-exist right?" He raised one hand, "what becomes of you in your world" he lifts up the other, "and what becomes of you in ours. Now even though you're both different, you're still essentially the same people, meaning that if you have crossed over here, you've upset the balance"

"No…" Sakura's eyes widened, her quick mind picking up where this was going.

"There has to be a balance Sakura, if that is destroyed the universe will try and regain equilibrium. Two of the same people cannot co-exist in the same world; if that were to happen both would disappear"

Finally managing to push the gag out of his mouth Naruto voiced his confusion, "What are you guys talking about? So what if we're here, what does it mean?"

"If-If we're here Naruto" Sakura begun shakily, "then that means they're…"

"Yes, The Naruto and Sakura would have to of been moved to restore the balance" Shikamaru finished, frowning at the idea that, considering the circumstances, didn't seem so absurd anymore. However, Naruto still didn't get it.

"The 'us' from here would be moved? But moved where?"

* * *

The sound of a mockingbird rung through the dark forest; calming her babes and creating a peaceful atmosphere for those close enough to hear it. The bird was known to sing for minutes on end and so it caused a few raised eyebrows from weary travelers as the song suddenly came to an abrupt end.

If one was curious enough to find out why, they would soon come to find the poor bird pinned to a willow tree by a black kunai whilst her babes chirped away in sorrow.

The owner of the deadly weapon growled and put clawed hands to their ears, scowling when he heard the laughter of his female companion.

"Haha, you've just made it worse" she commented as she shifted her weight and placed a hand on her hip, over her black cloak that was loosely tied to her waist.

"Shut it, I feel like I've been drained of all my Chakra" the first retorted pushing his long, dark blond hair away from his face, "…my head hurts like a bit-"

"What have you gone and gotten us into baka" a cold voice interrupted from behind the pair. The first glared looking straight into his glowing red eyes.

"I didn't do anything! One minute I'm cleaning the blood from my kunai and the next a fell a strong pull!"

"A pull?" the other male commented doubtfully, raising an elegant black eyebrow.

"Yes a pull…From my stomach" Two pairs of eyes narrowed at that.

"It doesn't matter now" the female decided, leaning down next to a stream and staring down at her reflection. She had long pink hair tied into a high pony tail and a short red vest top that was cropped to show her bellybutton. She frowned as she saw that a few hairs had escaped from their bind and deftly tucked them behind her ears. Her reflection was soon joined by a feral looking teen with dark whisker marks; three on each cheek below red eyes with black slits in them. He wore his cloak over a bare chest, one sleeve hanging loosely over one of his shoulders as if he couldn't be bothered to pull it up.

"What do you mean?"

"She means" The second boy began, joining them by the riverside, "that we should be focusing on trying to figure out where we are…and how we get back" The last had short jet black hair that was tied similar as to how he would have worn it when he was younger; in a neat pony tail. His cloak was also around his waist, the arms hanging inside out as if he had taken out his arms from the top and folded the cloak down so it was still closed halfway. He wore no shirt but a necklace holding a ring with a kanji hung from his neck by a black thread. "The obvious things Naruto"

"Any ideas Sasuke" Sakura asked him, rising to stand by his side, picking a few strands of grass from her black, shape-fitting shorts. But he did not answer, instead his eyes wide and transfixed on an image reflected in the water's surface.

"What is it Teme?" Naruto asked him, surprised that there was something that could leave the Uchiha so shaken. When he didn't answer the two tried to find what had caught his attention, but when they did, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"How could this be, the process took place a longtime ago!" exclaimed the erratic blond.

"I know Naruto, this is impossible" Sakura agreed, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

Sasuke tilted his head curiously to look at the round watcher of the night that shone brightly and tinted the forest with a urethral glow. "It's been soo long since I've seen the moon" he commented faintly, "just where in the world are we?"

* * *

**Author's note: **Hey, i've put this story up before some time ago but took it down to make some edits. What do you think so far? I was reading the manga and when they told of Mandara's plan and I just got hit with this idea that wouldn't leave me. There are a few holes that need filling though and questions that I know you want answering. YES there is a reason why Mandara hasn't been alerted to there appearance and actions when they first arrived which Shikamaru notices but can't reason...yet...anyway, please review to give criticism or just to tell me what you think...i have alot of ideas of where to take this! Thank you!

P.s..beta anyone?


	2. Chapter 2

Changed my name from Precious-Ivory to Ivory pen...Just had the feeling...

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

**From now on -Light World- means Evil team 7 and -Dark World- means Good team 7. Hope that makes things clear!**

**Big thanks to my Beta Smoochynose! :D**

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Equilibrium

Chapter 2

By Ivory Pen

-Dark World-

It was only due to the years of ingrained training that the young Uchiha didn't panic, but inside his mind was reeling; bowing? These men were bowing to him, and where this may occur frequently in the land of Rice the idea that anyone from the Land of Fire would bow to him now was ludicrous. Nevertheless the impossible was happening before him.

'Just more evidence that I'm not in Konoha anymore' he thought placatingly. 'But then, it does make one wonder...How different am I here to warrant this reception' What had changed? Did he not leave Konoha here? 'Are the Uchiha alive?' he thought wistfully, fist tightening over the handle of his blade.

But then his red eyes narrowed, catching the faintest flicker of suppressed emotion in the men's eyes. Even though they were bowing, their eyes were fixated on his own almost daringly. Respectful yet mocking. The teen relaxed, maybe it wasn't him that had changed after all but Konoha. For all the show these men were putting up, they hated him and weren't afraid to show it.

'Good, here's me thinking that I would have to start smiling like the Dobe'. The teen felt his respect for these men rise abit and he couldn't help the smirk escaping from the mask of indifference he had painted across his face as he watched them. He was an Uchiha after all. Absently he wondered if this 'Sasuke-sama' felt the same way, seeing those around him hating and fearing him with a passion yet powerless to do anything about it.

He left them in that uncomfortable position for a while longer until he saw a small twitch forming on the face of the bandana wearing man; Genma, he realised, recognising the ninja from his first Chuunin exams. The man looked slightly different now, tired and somehow older than he should be. He nodded and the men rose with a barely contained sigh of relief. 'I wonder what was done for them to be under my command' he thought as his hand went limp at his side and he turned on the dirt path to walk away.

"Sasuke-sama?"

Sasuke blinked hearing the call. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that they were still standing at attention behind him. He frowned, the next thing he said or done would be crucial, these men were expecting something and to disappoint could be deadly. He cursed under his breath. He should have seen this coming. Taking a deep breath to remain calm, he turned round and arched a dark eyebrow at the one who had spoken, Genma.

The ninja shifted on his feet before answering, rolling the senbon in his mouth from left to right habitually. "Don't you want us to give it to you now?" he asked, voice expressing his confusion and impatience. Yes? No? He would have to answer fast, if he waited any longer they would start to get suspicious. He opened his mouth to say 'yes' when he noticed Genma's partner's hand twitch towards his pouch underneath his cloak.

Oh? So he had messed up earlier and now they were wary of him. Not bad. His Sharingan span as he assessed them. It shouldn't take to long to deal with them, if memory served him well Genma was a low Jounin when he last saw him...But then again, this wasn't his Genma. A soft breeze floated between them, carssing his hair and lifting some of the dust from their cloaks like the hands of a fussy mother. Dirt; they were dirty, a mission maybe?

"No," he corrected himself, "I'm busy and here hardly seems..." he paused, pointedly surveying their surrounding before turning back to gaze at them piercingly, "appropriate."

The man's hand relaxed and Sasuke closed his eyes in momentary relief. "Understood, Sasuke-sama. I'll leave the report on you desk" Genma replied. The pair bowed once more before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke turned back towards the village, replaying the conversation over and over in his mind. A report? That could prove useful in helping him understand what was happening here. The last thing he needed was to be put into this kind of situation again, he needed information as soon as possible. He paused as he got to the gate and realised he had a bigger and more immediate problem to deal with. Where the hell was his office?

* * *

No one spoke as they made their way through the forest, too immersed in their own thoughts to voice one aloud. Only the forest broke the tense silence, crying out from the occasional broken twig or clipped branch as the leaves swayed back and forth rhythmically to the light breeze, not allowing the four travellers to disrupt their dance.

The sky above them began to shift drawing the eyes of the two prisoners; the Sharingan was spinning, erupting a spiral of pink and orange onto the sky, spreading it in all directions until they disappeared out of sight, round the corners of the world, making the leaves look almost black in it's gentle light. They coudn't rip their eyes away from the sight, they had never seen Dawn approach in such a way. It was only when Shikamaru heard a soft gasp from behind that he realised that they were watching.

"Idiots! Look away!" he hissed tugging hard on the rope connected to their binds to get their attention. His companions also began to hiss, sending Chakra onto a seal on their wrists making it momentarily glow. Silence broken, Naruto took it as permission to voice his annoyance.

"Ouch, dammit, you lazy-"

"Shut up and keep still moron!" He said in a harsh whisper, wrapping the rope around his arm so that he could send Chakra into his wrist, "Can't you see it's spinning!" They had stopped moving now, the two cloaked figures had distanced themselves slightly and were holding onto a tree with their marked arm.

"I don't understand" Sakura interjected quietly before Naruto could speak, "Why can't we look at it?". Shikamaru turned and stared at them with a strange expression before his face cleared, apparently figuring something out.

"Ahh, still playing the traveller card, eh?" he snorted softly, shaking his head before deciding to humour them, "When it's spinning" he gestured with a small nudge towards the sky, "he's more aware then usual because he's changing something, we have to activate our seals". Naruto frowned in confusion, looking towards the teens wrist.

"Seals? Since when do you do seals, Shikamaru?" The Nara smirked mischievously but then it was quickly replaced with a sneer. He turned away from them and gestured towards his companions to start moving. The eye had stopped spinning.

"Looking at you," he began softly after a tense silence, "I find myself actually starting to believe that you could ... " he drifted off, his hand slipping into his front pocket, taking out a rusting silver lighter and a crumbling cigarette, lightening it before continuing, "then I look up at the sky and remember reality." He picked up the pace causing them to stumble, "Hurry up, we're almost there."

* * *

"What happened!" Shikamaru yelled as they entered a small clearing. It was filled with a dozen people all cloaked and hooded surrounding a man that had fallen on the ground clutching his head in agony. "Dammit! Did he not active his seal?"

He said as he dropped the rope and ran on ahead. Naruto and Sakura tried to follow but were stopped by the two remaining beside them. Pushing past the closest to him, the Nara made his way to the front of the crowd and crouched down beside of the man.  
"What's happening?" Naruto whispered to the pink haired medic as they stared on.

"I don't know," she said as her eyes slid from the commotion to survey their surroundings. The area was boarded with strong oak trees that had seals drawn in black ink on their trunks, next to them were piles of dead leaves that had been swept from the clearing in order to make room for the worn down tents that dotted the clearing. She could see small fires being tended to by smaller huddles of cloak which could only be children. Strangely, they didn't look back to the cluster of adults behind them, she frowned in wonder, it was as if they were used to this happening everyday.

"Shikamaru! You're back" a woman greeted as she made her way next to him holding a ragged, wet cloth. "He was sleeping in a tree a few yards from camp ... we didn't know-" she began tearfully only to be hushed by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault" he said with a tired, regretful sigh. "It's already over," he muttered studying the prone figure in front of him. He had stopped screaming now, driven unconscious from the pain.

The atmosphere had gone cold and sombre, the two outsiders shifted uncomfortably from their view at the back, feeling like they were intruding in on something personal. "Neji... " Shikamaru called in a strained voice without looking up. A cloaked figure nearby straightened in attention and began bellowing orders at the crowd.

"Gather the essentials, put out the fires and pack the tents ... It's over!" Seeing that no one was yet to move he added, "Now! We haven't got time!" As if showered in cold water, they jumped to their feet and dispersed in haste to their tents where sounds of scrambling could be heard as they gathered all their belongings. It took only a few moments for Sakura to realise that Shikamaru was still crouched in front on the man on the floor. With all the drama no had noticed them and the two that were standing guard had retreated to their own tents. Nudging her teammate, she slowly made her way to his side.

"Oi Shikamaru, what is-No! What are you doing?" Naruto exclaimed as he fell on his knees and grabbed Shikamaru's wrist, stopping him from slashing the man's throat with a kunai, "You were going to kill him!" he said voice laced with shock and disbelief.  
"So?" he snapped back, still not looking up.

"So?" Naruto growled, hands tightening around his wrist in outrage, "What do you mean so? You're lucky my wrists are bound or I would of beat the crap out of you!"

"Naruto ... " Sakura added nervously from behind, the quicker ones that had finished packing had noticed them and were approaching them fast.  
Hearing real anger in his voice Shikamaru finally looked up, eyes narrowed and looked Naruto dead in the eye. Slowly however, his eyes began to widen until almost timidly he whispered, "N-Naruto?" Scowl quickly fading Naruto gave him a blinding grin.

"Are we going through this again" Suddenly the grin faded and they both rolled to the side, avoiding a hail of kunai that was aimed their way. "What the hell?"

"Get away from him!" Neji shouted getting ready to throw another hand full of Kunai. It was only then that the blond looked around him and noticed that they had been surrounded. The others had finished packing and had their sacks slung aroundtheir necks and weapons at the ready. Sakura was caught between two of the cloaked figures, a Kunai at her neck.

"No wait, Neji it's me,Naruto!" the toad summoner tried to explain shaking his bound hands in front of him.  
"I know who you are, demon!" Naruto tried not to wince at the vicious voice that was aimed at him as he got to his feet. But even he couldn't mask all the hurt from his eyes. Noticing it Shikamaru came to stand in front of him. "What are you doingShikamaru!" He yelled lowering his weapon away from his companion.

"No, leave them be!" Shikamaru yelled as Naruto began to get into a defensive stance. They didn't move, "Everyone listen to me, it's to troublesome to explain now but they are on our side...I-I trust them" a tense silence followed before Neji put away his weapon and the rest followed, releasing the red faced medic without a word.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran to her, sapphire orbs scanning for injuries.

"I'm okay Naruto" she placated with a small smile before turning to face the not-so-lazy Nara, "What made you-"

"It was his eyes" he said shortly, "You can henge, dye your hair or change your clothes but you can't change the look in your eye ... I haven't seen that look in a long time" he exclaimed as he dusted himself of. "Besides," he added with a bored look, "You've never had a problem with killing before ... you revelled in it even." Naruto couldn't help the shiver that went up his spine, this other 'Naruto' didn't sound like him at all. "How are your injuries?" The Nara added bringing him back to reality.

"Oh, umm" he started, noticing the growing red stain on his bandages.

"Idiot!" Sakura berated, turning him to face her and gently poking at his seal, "I told you I didn't heal it completely! Do you want to bleed to death?" The blond yelped at her touches, turning white at her words.

"What? I'm dying!"

"Idiot!" she repeated, trying to break through the rope around her wrists, "I would be able to heal it if it weren't for the ropes"

"Here, let me" Shikamaru offered as he pulled out his kunai. Neji made to interject but he was waved away with a lazy hand, "Sorry about this," he said with a smirk as he cut their binds, "world jumpers huh?" he snorted as the rope fell to the floor and watched them rub their wrists in relief. "Figures, only you could accomplish the impossible"

"I am Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja," Naruto replied smiling, scratching the back of his head whilst Sakura hands began to glow a pale green. The smirk wavered before it fell from the smokers lips completely and his face darkened. Seeing this Naruto expression fell into one of concern and slight desperation. "Shikamaru, what happened?" But all the teen did was shake his head.

"Not now, later, for now finish getting healed and Hinata will give you some spare bandages." He nodded and turned back to the prone figure on the ground, "I need to clear up here, we've wasted enough time." Clearly dismissed, the two turned away only to almost trample over a short figure in a light grey cloak.

"Umm ... " Recognising the voice Naruto's eyes widened in glee.

"Hinata!" She 'epped' and her hood fell off to reveal short uneven raven coloured hair. The girl looked up and they could see she had a scar running from the conner of her left eye to the middle of her left cheek. They pair gasped.

"W-what happened to your face?" Naruto asked without tact but she didn't answer, neither did she even look at him. Instead she looked straight at Sakura, pearly lavender eyes hesitant but determined.

"Here are some bandages, sorry its all we can spare," she said apologetically handing the medic a roll of white cloth. Sakura smiled accepting it from shaking hands gratefully.

"Don't worry it's more than enough" the girl nodded and quickly turned to leave but was stopped, "Wait! Why are we suddenly leaving? Has it got to with the seals?" The Hyugya froze sending a quick darting look towards Shikamaru who was dragging the body into the forest. The medic caught it.

"Don't worry, he trusts us. It does something to your Chakra?" she prodded, edging the girl on. She sighed and turned back to face them, speaking so quietly they had to move closer, much to her dismay.

"We never stay to long in one place," she began, "He finds us, he always does, but when we all activate our seal he can't pin point us, it disrupts our Chakra." Sakura frowned trying to understand.

"How does that help?"

"This is all illusion remember?" a voice interrupted them, Shikamaru had returned from the forest. "Your supposed to be smart Sakura, how would you normally get out of a genjutsu?"

"Disrupt the flow of Chakra form the victim," she recited.

"Exactly" the Nara smirked, "These seals act as a screen, they blurr our image so that he can't find us and send his followers after us ... or worse." Naruto gulped.

"Worse?" The boy nodded grimacing as if reliving a horrid memory.

"This is his world remember." Then he sighed and scratched the hairs at his chin, "But then there are the occasions where someones forgets or is unable to activate their seal and ... " He trailed off, looking towards the forest.

"He finds you," Sakura finished.

"Yeah ... " Shikamaru added quietly, but then giving himself a small shake he continued, "which means we have to leave now. You can re-do his bandages when we reach our new camp." And with that he took to the trees. Not having any other options the three jumped after him.

"But what about us" Sakura inquired, speeding up so that she was level with the their leader, "We don't have a seal, doesn't he see us?" He was silent for a while before answering.

"That would make sense, but then again your not supposed to be here," he paused and glanced back at the pair in wonder."I've been thinking about it ever since you asked me about your situation outside the cave. You're an outsider looking in ...You're not caught in this illusion, which means-"

"He can't see us!" Sakura inturrupted having caught on, "He doesn't know that we are here!" The Nara nodded.

"That's what I think anyway, or else he would have sent someone after us when we attacked-"

"Then why did you attack?" Naruto blurted out in confusion, then tried again when he saw the looks the was receiving. "Why did you attack us knowing that you would be seen and taken by his followers? It doesn't make sense." Shikamaru didn't answer and the air grew thick as dreaded understanding filled them.

"Living here ... " Naruto began softly, noticing the absence of the rest of team 10, "is hard, isn't it?"

"Yeah...more troublesome than you think ... "

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**Author's note**: Another chapter up! Hope you like! Too short? Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

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Chapter 3 Part 1

-Good World-

It seemed like an eternity had passed before anyone dared say a word. Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing but flicking her emerald orbs towards the sky, the truth became painfully obvious. Yet still she patiently waited for Sasuke to scold her, to tell her it was all just another 'change' but he remained chillingly silent, leaving the sound of the forest to dominate the air within the small clearing.

A birds cry registered in the Uchiha's ear snapping him back to reality and with a tighten jaw he pulled himself away from the impossible sight. "We need to move" Sasuke muttered finally as he brushed past the frozen blond, sheathing Kusanagi that he'd subconsciously drawn from his back at the sight of the distant moon.

"Move?" She distantly heard Naruto question with wide eyes, his voice close to hysterics. She agreed with him. The thought of moving did not seem like the greatest strategic move considering their sudden strange predicament. They needed to come up with some sort of plan; she hated careless, impulsive actions, they only lead to trouble. But the fact that the Uchiha was so thrown that he would primarily suggest such a thing, to Sakura, was even more troubling.

Turning around the blond grabbed the Uchiha roughly by the shoulder, halting his movements. "Teme! Do you not see what's happened!" The Uchiha only gave him a relaxed glare as his voice echoed around the clearing, contrasting with the turmoil evoked by the tight grip he had on the hilt of his sword.

"Off...now" he ordered thickly, his back muscles tensing in anticipation, like a cat waiting to pounce. He waited for an excuse, unable to resist the possibility of something familiar in such unfamiliarity.

The blond growled making his fanged teeth gleam menacingly in the moonlight.

"Don't you dare act like this is nothing Sasuke, 5 minutes ago that thing didn't exist! Now it's suddenly lighting up the place like a damn-"

"Damn what, you idiot" Sakura interrupted heatedly, finally pulling her sight away from the sky with a small shake to look at him with a frown, "a moon?" she finished sarcastically running a hand through her fringe with a heavy sigh as she tried to calm her nerves. The blond just scowled at her, red eyes flashing dangerously with restraint, but she ignored him knowing he wouldn't attack. The last thing they needed right now was a fight between them. But it was tempting, her fists were itching to hit something with all the tension building in the air.

Nevertheless her hand fell clasping and unclasping at her side, the only thing exposing her unrest as she walked in between the two boys, detaching the blond's grip from the Sharingan user's shoulder. "We haven't got time for this" she said her voice slightly pleading as piercing green eyes glared into the Uchiha's chest, the top of her head just brushing against his chin, "we need to contact him."

"I've already tried" Sasuke answered, his voice laced with irritation but his eyes were now troubled. "We're on our own, he can't hear me. It's like he's been completely cut..." Sasuke trailed off, an unreadable expression flashing across his regal features. Naruto gazed at him in confusion before his features relaxed and a frightening grin spread across his face, making him seem more feral and demonic than before.

"No...No don't tell me! You think he's undone the Jutsu?" he exclaimed, eyes dancing in amusement and disbelief, "Ha! Get real Uchiha!" The raven haired teen sent a heated glare at the boy before turning away from him and leaning against an old tree a few metres away from his team-mates.

"Don't be stupid" he muttered faintly staring into the lake's surface. The smile wavered slightly as the Uzumaki continued to study the dark haired teen until it grew again and he wiped a hand under his nose carelessly, nodding causing his wild blond spikes to dance along with it's movement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" With that he jumped onto a high branch of the Sakura tree Sasuke was resting on, using the slight isolation to take a peak at his seal.

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she felt Sasuke's gaze fall on her small form, but decisively turned away from it choosing to ignore the silent question. She she heard him exhale softly and the pressure disappeared much to her relief. He should have known she wouldn't say anything. She was smart enough not to jump to conclusions so quickly. She wasn't ready to allow herself to drop her guard so easily...not any more, she'd learnt that lesson the hard way a long time ago.

Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind like she had trained herself to do, she finally took a good look at their surroundings, however it only caused her frown to increase; the forest seemed oddly familiar. A soft breeze pressed against her back and her arms automatically rose to fold against her chest. Something wasn't right. Not even he could change things this much...could he? Was this a test? She risked a glance at Sasuke. Then at the sky.

Did he still not trust her?

"We're near Konoha" Naruto voiced from behind her, interrupting her discomforting thoughts, she turned to him as he jumped down to the ground gracefully, whipping his head in a southern direction. His nose flared as he drew in the nights crisp air. "That's what fur-ball is implying anyway. But if that's true-"

"-then something is off" the Uchiha added as his hand caught three pink petals, shaken from their home due to the blond's decent. He stroked the soft petals cautiously between his fingers, red eyes narrowing in sudden realization as they were carried off by the soft wind. It was only then as Sakura stared at after her namesake that she finally caught on. "This doesn't grow around here any more..."

Suddenly they all froze, their bodies becoming still as status. With only one glance shared between them they disappeared silently but simultaneously into the wilderness.

Only a beat passed before the foliage at the mouth of the clearing broke through and two figures covered in black cloaks entered the area, collapsing on the grass at the bedside of the lake in fatigue. The moonlight caught on a metal plate tied across one of their forehead, momentarily illuminating the symbol of a decorative leaf caught in a spiral. Shin-obe.

"See Kurinji-kun" came a male adolescent voice; careless and free. "There was no-one here" he added, lightly breathless and hoarse as he fell back onto the damp grass. 'Kurinji' cupped a hand full of cold water out of the lake and splashed it on his face with a content sigh before turning to his companion with a reply.

"It seems so" he conceded with an easy grin, "But I don't feel we should camp here tonight, we are almost at Konoha, I'd rather sleep in a bed than out here thank you very much" he said kicking the other lightly in the ribs causing him to groan. But he dragged himself to his feet nevertheless.

"Fine, i'm hungry anyway, lets get out of here before we run into any trou...ble" he finished slowly, feeling the air suddenly grow heavy and thick. The wind moaned as it fought its way through the trees creating a ominous atmosphere. His hand reached down towards his leg for his weapon pouch, instinctively pulling out a Kunai for defence. He blinked as the pressure in the air around him doubled as if in response to his actions, almost causing him to stumble to the ground. A line of sweat ran down from his hair line as he felt the evil intent behind it, frightening yet oddly familiar to him. He glanced to his left to see that his companion was also experiencing the same thing. "What's going on Kurinji?"

"I don't know" the other boy replied quietly, tightening his hold on the three Shuriken placed in-between his fingers. Before he could react he was grabbed roughly from behind and then the familiar feeling of being ripped out of place washed over him. He was released and he stumbled to regain his balance. His heart pounding in his ears, he looked around the area. He was still in the forest but his partner was nowhere in sight. Suddenly the sound of growling came from his left and he turned to see a tall blond figure in a red and black cloak, his face concealed in shadows. "Who the hell are you!" He demanded, but the figure didn't even seem to be listening.

"To show yourself so openly...you have guts, you should know that before I kill you."

Looking at the scene from her hidden spot behind a nearby oak tree Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched her team-mate shiver in excitement. It was almost laughable to think that this boy once dreamed of becoming Hokage...She cursed, shaking her head to clear away her rebellious wanderings, such thought of the time before were forbidden after all.

Kurinji gulped as he analysed his opponent, the amount of Chakra he was emitting was out of this world. He knew for sure of one thing; this man, no...this _thing_ before him was dangerous. He needed to warn the village, but that was if he could stay alive. He turned his attention back to the fight but before he could even blink the boy had disappeared.

"Boo!" a voice hissed from behind him and he gasped in shock as he span around only to meet air. He felt movement to his right and released a hand full of his weapons only for them to hit the truck of a Sakura tree instead. Freed, a petal fell from the tree and he watched momentarily memorised as it fell to the ground. A moment was all that was needed.

She did nothing but turn away. She knew how it ended anyway. A bitter smirk. A familiar buzz of excitement.

"Goodbye ninja-scum" a voice hissed into Kurinji's ear and it took everything he had not to jump or yell in shock at the speed his enemy displayed. It was over, he realised, their enemy was too strong for any of them to handle. Taking a deep breath, even as he felt the sharp claws at his back, he quickly shouted a warning to his friend, praying he was still in ears reach.

"Run, Code4! Choji!"

* * *

Choji heard the yell of his team-mate and with a heavy heart, began to race towards the village. As much as he wanted to go back to see how his companion was fairing, he knew what 'Code4' stood for and so knew he had to make it back to the village no matter what.

'Besides, Kurinji is strong', he thought as he neared the gate, it was almost in sight. However he was soon forced to stop as a figure appeared right in front of him blocking his path, face sharply lit by the moons cruel rays. The teen almost froze in shock at the sight of his familiar features, "S-sasuke?"

Sasuke took a step closer, red eyes narrowing as they bore into him. "It seems you weren't lying" he muttered darkly as his eyes glowed menacingly.

Choji knew the situation could be bad but relaxed a little once he saw Sakura casually step out from behind him. He sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging as he realized just how tired from his mission he was. He let out a weak chuckle, shifting most of his weight onto his left, "Sakura, you're here too? You managed to bring him back!"

The girl just smiled at him in silence.

It was strange seeing someone from 'that' group walking about so freely but she didn't bother questioning him about it. She almost thought that he had been one of those who had been 'convinced' but then the sight of his headband banished any thoughts on that.

It was only then upon closer inspection that Choji noticed that her hair was longer than it was when he had last seen her, but more importantly than that, she wore a familiar black cloak with red cloaks around her waist. He gasped in confusion and horror, stepping back as cold realisation slowly began to settle in. "No...you wouldn't betray us...You wouldn't betray Naruto!"

Sakura frowned at his words, what was he talking about? Betray Naruto? But it seemed that Sasuke had had enough. Sakura looked away from them, focusing her attention on the presence she felt approaching.

Choji blinked and Sasuke was suddenly inches away from his own face, staring into his eyes with his accursed bloodlimit. He could do nothing as he whispered a word softly into the night and this vision was covered in darkness...

"Forget..."

Naruto came to a stop next to Sakura carrying his limp accomplishment under one arm. As soon as he touched ground he threw the body onto the floor, licking away the mess from his fingers. Sakura's eyes hardly took any notice of it, to used to seeing similar sights for it to have any effect anymore.

"The nerve of those guys!" The blond blurted out annoyed, the brief battle having calmed him down, "To think they would just waltz openly around the forest so near to the vill-" he broke off, eyes registering the boy standing in a daze before his team-mate. "What!" He exclaimed, pointing a clawed finger towards the boy's round face. "He's alive!" It was only then that Sakura looked back to see that indeed, the Uchiha had left him alive. 'That's odd,' she thought absently, tilting her head slightly to the side in confusion to analyse the Uchiha. Sasuke was hardly one to get sentimental.

"I know, but I need him alive for now" Naruto began shaking his head before he even finished speaking.

"No , no! You don't understand! _He's alive!_" he stressed, red eyes wide and sightly panicked. "He's supposed to be dead, I made sure of that!" Sasuke just stared at him blankly, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. Only the pinked haired medic seemed to follow what the blond was trying to say, her brows creasing slightly in question.

"Naruto...you saying you killed him before?" Sasuke glanced her way before answering for him.

"Impossible, he obviously failed to get the job done."

"Ha!That's what's impossible! I did kill him, I swear," he argued, coming close and observing the boy who seemed to have come back from the dead with a screwed face that hid his demonic eyes from view. Sakura blinked. "Just what the hell is going on here."

"That's what we are going to find out" The Uchiha said, pushing the blond out of the way. The two stared at him in confusion. "All this uncertainty is getting us nowhere" he continued, ignoring the glare sent his way, "we need facts."

"How are we going to get that?" Sakura asked, studying him closely. Instead of answering, Sasuke closed his eyes briefly in concentration before opening them again and gazing straight into Choji's glazed eyes.

"We weren't here, continue where you were going. You're team-mate is already waiting for you beyond the wall..." the Sharingan began to spin.

* * *

Choji blinked repeatedly as he came to, shaking his head in order to clear away the cotton feeling clouding his mind. He regretted it almost immediately, "ah" he groaned as a sharp pain throbbed at his temple. He was sitting on the ground, back resting against a thick trunk of a cut tree.

What was he doing there anyway?

Standing up from the ground, he looked around him as he scratched the back of his neck in thought. He soon realized he was near the path that lead back to Konoha; he was almost home. Oh yes. It was coming back to him now; he was returning from a successful mission around the borders of Wind. He noticed he was alone and figured Kinjuri had gone on ahead of him, he must of sat for a moment to rest and had promptly fallen asleep. It would have been something his Sensei would scold him and he shivered imagining what would have happened if Ino was the one who had woken him up. Trying to discard his frightening imagination, he began to walk the rest of the way back to the Village hidden in the leaf, his belly rumbling in complaint; maybe he could drag Shikamaru out to the Barbecue restaurant once he arrived...

The trio watched from atop a nearby tree as the teen made his hasty decent back to the Village. Naruto grinned, giving Sasuke an appraising eye which was completely ignored, " Not bad, I'm kind of impressed. So what now? We trail the imposter? What's the point? He's just heading towards the Village?" Sakura sighed at the blond already preparing to explain but to her surprise, it was Sasuke that answered him, he fists tightening at his sides.

"Something is not right Naruto, this place isn't...right. We need to stay hidden and trail him to gather information. We've been cut off" There was something in his voice that made Naruto bite his tongue and just nod at the Uchiha in understanding. The Uchiha hated being in the dark about things, but more than that, he hated being made a fool of. The blond could tell the Uchiha had a plan.

"Fine, lets go" he muttered begrudgingly as they jumped from the tree, hot in pursuit.

* * *

**Author's note: It's been awhile! Thought i'd post something to show i'm still working on this! It's only half a Chapter! Here's just a taste of how the other trio are like! They have their own history and a way of interacting and reacting which differs slightly from how the other trio act. If you caught it, i'd love to hear your views ^^. This was centered more on Sakura's point of view but it will change in each chapter so you get an idea of how each one is different from their 'originals'.**

**Part two of this chapter will be posted soon!**

**Thanks! R&R**


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